These zucchini brownies are rich, fudgy and delicious. Veggie smuggling has never tasted so good!
I know that having lived most of my life in the UK that I really should be calling those little green gourds courgettes but I just can’t bring myself to do it. That said, I was today old when I found out that zucchini is plural and that apparently one zucchini is a zucchino! Go figure!
I’m definitely all aboard the Zucchini Train because as well as sharing this zucchini brownie deliciousness with you here, today I’m also sharing some of my favourite zucchini recipes at Mim’s place, over at Write of the Middle. Feel free to bob on over and say hi!
These days I blog by the seat of my pants and most of the recipes I make, including this one are my humble attempt to waste not and want not and with these brownies, you can rest assured you will not waste and you will want.
These brownies came to be because I had some excess chocolate from when I made my rocky road wreath (left over chocolate – a first in this house!) a very tired looking zucchini in the fridge and friends coming for dinner the next day.
The baking planets aligned because apart from zucchini and chocolate, all you need for this recipe is just a few pantry essentials. These melt and mix brownies are so quick and easy to make and if I say so myself, they are absolutely fudging delicious.
Now I’ve made a lot of brownies in my time (if you don’t believe me, you can check out all my brownie recipes here) but these are hands down the fudgiest and I’m giving the zucchini all the credit here.
In fact, even David who is a self confessed zucchini-phobe loved these brownies. I actually think he’d love zucchini if he only had to eat them in brownie form! Yes friends, we are talking ninja level veggie smuggling here!
The trick for these babies is to not over cook the brownies. You should see some dull cracks on the top and the brownie should be ever so slightly coming away from the side of the tin. Don’t stress if the brownie is a bit wobbly in the centre, it will all come good while it cools in the tin, just let it do it’s thing.
So next time you have a lonely zucchino, you know what to do with it. You’re welcome!
Do you say courgette or zucchini? What’s your favourite way to veggie smuggle?
Makes 16 squares
Ingredients
120g plain flour
50g cocoa
200g butter, cut into cubes
200g dark chocolate, broken into cubes
4 eggs
275g caster sugar
1 large zucchini (about 300g), grated with excess water squeezed out
100g milk chocolate chips
How to – Traditional
- Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease and line a 20xm x 30cm baking tin with baking paper.
- Zucchini can hold a lot of water so squeeze/drain out as much of the liquid as possible and set aside.
- Place the flour and cocoa in a large bowl and stir well to combine and then set aside.
- Melt the dark chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and butter in short bursts in the microwave. When the chocolate and butter have completely melted, set aside to cool slightly.
- Beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is pale, has doubled in volume and when you lift the beaters, they leave a trail that lasts for 2-3 seconds.
- Fold in the melted chocolate mixture, then the flour mixture, then the zucchini and finally the chocolate chips. Gently stir to combine, don’t over mix.
- Tip the batter into the prepared tin, level the top and bake for 20-30 minutes
- until the crust is dull and the sides of the brownie are coming away slightly from the edge of the tin. Don’t worry if there’s still a bit of a wobble in the middle.
- Leave to cool in the tin for at least one hour.
How to – Thermomix
- Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin with baking paper.
- Zucchini can hold a lot of water so squeeze/drain out as much of the liquid as possible and set aside.
- Place the flour and cocoa into the TM bowl and mix for 5 seconds on speed 5. Set aside.
- Place the dark chocolate chunks into the TM bowl and blitz for a few seconds on Turbo until finely chopped.
- Add the butter and melt for 2 minutes at 60C on speed 3 or until melted. Set the melted mxiture aside and wash and dry the bowl.
- Insert the butterfly and add the eggs and caster sugar. Mix for 2-3 minutes on speed 4 until the mixture is pale, has doubled in volume and leaves a trail when the butterfly is removed.
- Add the melted butter and chocolate mixture, the dry ingredients, the grated zucchini and the choc chips to the TM bowl. Mix for 5 seconds on reverse speed 4. Fold through with the spatula until combined.
- Tip the batter into the prepared tin, level the top and bake for 20-30 minutes until the crust is dull and the sides of the brownie are coming away slightly from the edge of the tin. Don’t worry if there’s still a bit of a wobble in the middle.
- Leave to cool in the tin for at least one hour.
